About

Head of School Search

The Center's Search Committee

List of 1 items.

  • Members

    Usama Cortas
    Trustee, Parent '22, '25, '28

    Betsy González
    Trustee, Parent '24, '26

    Mai Lassiter
    Trustee, Alumni Parent '14, '19

    Todd Liu
    CEE Fifth Grade Faculty

    Marcus Lollie
    Trustee, Parent '23, Alumni Parent '20

    David Messinger
    Co-Chair, Trustee, Parent '22, '24, Alumni Parent '19

    Nassim Shandy
    CEE Administration, Parent '24

    Sunny Whang
    Co-Chair, Trustee, Parent '24, Alumni Parent '18, '19

From the Board of Trustees

Latest Updates

The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce Damian R. Jones as The Center for Early Education’s next Head of School, effective July 1, 2022. The announcement to the Community can be found here.

Reveta Bowers will extend her role as Interim Head of School for the 2021-2022 school year. In addition to regular email updates to the community, we will post updates to this page to keep you informed throughout this important process.

Updates

List of 8 items.

  • May 2021

    • The Center's Board of Trustees announces Damian R. Jones as the next Head of School, effective July 1, 2022
    • A transition plan is in place to ensure a smooth transition

  • April 2021

    • Update community on plans to move start date of new Head of School to July 2022
    • Met with Parent Association Board to discuss new Head of School start date
    • Reveta Bowers to remain Interim Head of School through the 2021-2022 School Year

  • March 2021

    • Head of School search update to Faculty, Staff, and Administrators
    • Head of School search update to Parent Association Board
    • Search Committee conducts second round interviews with candidates

  • February 2021

    • Search Committee conducts first round interviews with candidates

  • January 2021

    • Survey Results are shared with the CEE community
    • Head of School search update given at State of the School meeting
    • Head of School search update given to Faculty, Staff, and Administrators
    • Based on the results of the surveys and feedback from The Center community, Spencer Stuart goes into the marketplace to screen and identify potential candidates
    • After careful selection, Spencer Stuart report findings and presents several calibration profiles to Search Committee for review

  • December 2020

    • Search Committee and Spencer Stuart invite CEE Faculty, Staff, and Admin to complete a Culture Survey that is distributed to gather feedback and to identify CEE's overall culture profile as an organization
    • Search Committee and Spencer Stuart invite the broader community to complete a Community Survey that is distributed to current parents, grandparents, alumni, and Trustees to gather feedback on what CEE seeks in a Head of School candidate
    • Spencer Stuart invites CEE Faculty, Staff, and Admin to a Townhall meeting to allow for an open conversation around the search process

  • November 2020

    • Search for a new Head of School is announced to the CEE community
    • One-on-one meetings are facilitated with some members of The Center, including CEE administrators, parents, and Search Committee
    • A group meeting with Parents' Association Board is held to hear how CEE's parent body understands, supports, and grows the culture at the school and how it builds community via events and volunteer efforts

  • October 2020

    • Search Committee formed
    • Spencer Stuart selected as search firm

The Process

A big part of the search process was informed by the input and insights of our community. To learn more about the process, click here.

Our next Head of School, Damian R. Jones

About Damian

Transition Plan

View

Selecting a Head of School

The thoughtful engagement from The Center community will help Spencer Stuart and the Search Community identify outstanding candidates. As we narrow down the candidates to a handful of finalists, the Search Committee will make a recommendation to The Board of Trustees. Following the best practices from the National Association of Independent Schools and in accordance with our bylaws, The Board of Trustees will select a new Head of School who will embody the mission and values of The Center for years to come.

Search Firm

The Board is delighted to announce that it has selected Spencer Stuart to help guide us through our Head of School search process. Spencer Stuart is a leading search firm that works across multiple industries. Their independent school practice is widely admired, and they have been engaged in Head of School search for many prominent schools. Spencer Stuart demonstrates a deep understanding of The Center’s mission.
 
Mary Gorman, Kristine Johnson, John Harpole, and Susan Clifford from Spencer Stuart will be leading this search, and we are impressed by them individually and collectively. They have our full confidence.

Prospective Applicants

To learn more about the qualifications for our Head of School position, please view the Candidate Position and Specification document.

Frequently Asked Questions

List of 8 frequently asked questions.

  • What qualities is CEE seeking in a New Head?

    Based on feedback from the school community through comprehensive surveys, CEE is looking for a candidate who is a/an: 
    • A strong background as an educator
    • Experience as a Head of School
    • A strong advocate for faculty and student growth
    • Community builder
    • Inspiring communicator 
    • A leader who is mission-aligned both in the role and personal values
    • A decision-maker who understands the school as an educational institution and how it operates

  • What are the expectations of a new Head regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and where does that fall in the order of priority?

    Since its inception through to present day, The Center for Early Education continues to innovate and advance learning, including diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Inclusion is a core value at CEE and has been threaded throughout the community and student learning for decades.  CEE believes that DEI work is the responsibility of each CEE community member and this important mission is continual throughout our lives at The Center and beyond. Beyond learning these valuable lessons throughout our schoolwork and personal interactions, parent education programs also support DEI growth and learning for the community.  The Center seeks a new Head who is aligned with and embraces opportunities to deepen discussions on DEI, as it has always been a priority for the institution.

  • Where are we in the process?

    Please refer to the Updates Section of this Head of School search page for the current timeline.

  • Who gets to pick the new Head of School?

    Input from the CEE community has been an essential part of this process. The ultimate decision will be made by the Board of Trustees after considering the recommendation of the Search Committee.

  • Will the broader community get to meet candidates prior to final selection?

    Under the advisement of our search firm, Spencer Stuart, introducing multiple candidates to the broader community does not follow best practices. Although the idea of meeting multiple candidates may be appealing on the surface, our search firm explains that such an effort can divide a community.

  • When will CEE announce the new Head of School?

    The Board of Trustees will announce the new Head before the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

  • When will the new Head start?

    After conferring with our search firm, our finalists, and our Trustees regarding how the pandemic has impacted school life, we have determined that we will officially move the start date for a new Head of School to July 2022.

    The Board of Trustees has asked Reveta Bowers to extend her role as Interim Head of School for the 2021-2022 school year. Reveta has graciously accepted.

  • Why is the start date for the new head being moved?

    While we are excited to introduce a new Head to CEE, the lingering impact of the pandemic has altered the timing of the transition. Throughout the course of the pandemic and the many stages of local public health restrictions along the way, CEE has done tremendously to navigate and provide teaching opportunities for students- remotely, in hybrid form, and a full return to on-campus learning. As CEE continues to resiliently adjust to these changes, we believe that our community would benefit from the continuity of leadership from this school year to the next.
563 N. Alfred Street, West Hollywood CA 90048
323-651-0707
info@cee-school.org  |  admissions@cee-school.org
The Center for Early Education, a socio-economically and culturally diverse independent school for children, toddlers through grade six, strives to graduate students who are joyful, resilient, life-long learners. The Center embraces a philosophy of education that combines a nurturing, inclusive learning environment with an increasingly challenging academic program that addresses the developmental needs of each child.